Machine for making frozen confections



July 1, 1939. w. J. TAYLOR MACHINE FOR MAKING FROZEN CONFECTIONS Original Filed Dec. 13, 1 935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INV EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Y y W. J. TAYLOR MACHINE FOR MAKING FROZEN CONFECTIONS Original Filed Dec. 15, 1935 2 Shee12s-$heet 2 W INVENTOR. Ww'fiz'wm J F @5501; 75 61411 ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 18, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR MAKING FROZEN CONFECTIONS Original application December 13, 1935, Serial No.

Divided and this application January 15, 1937, Serial No. 120,693

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in a machine for making frozen confections, each confection consisting of an edible block with a stick frozen therein and being suitably protected 5 as by means of a bag. The patent to Robb No.

1,960,456, dated May 29, 1934, illustrates a machine of this general type.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 54,166 filed December 13, 1935, which 10 sets forth a machine provided with the instrumentalities by which the following steps are carried out; first, filling each of a plurality of molds with a measured quantity of ice cream or an equivalent edible substance, in a fluid or semiviscous condition; second, freezing the contents of themolds to form confections; third, inserting a stick into each confection during the freeezing thereof; fourth, heating the walls of the molds sufiiciently to permit the withdrawal of the con- 20 fections therefrom by grippers or similar means; fifth, dipping the confections into a tank by which they are coated with chocolate or similar material; and sixth, inserting the coated confections into bags or cartons.

5 The object of the invention to which this application is directed resides in the structureand mode of operation of the instrumentality by which the removal of the confections from the molds is performed as will appear from a consideration of the following description andof the drawings which form a part thereof and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section i1- lustrating the removal of the confections from 35 the molds; and

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of one end of the mold and gripper conveyors taken along the line 2--2 in Fig. 1.

The molds 25 containing the confections :in

1 0 which the sticks I35 are frozen fast are advanced into a defrosting tank I10 of warm water to loosen the contact of the frozen solid confections with the sides of the molds. The molds are preferably tapered and may be of any desired cross 45 section being here shown as octagonal. The mold conveyor comprises a pair of side chains 2| (one shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1) between which are supported a plurality of mold carriers 22. Each carrier includes a cross bar 23 having .5 a centrally depressed portion on which is suitably secured a plate 24 having a plurality of openings therein to receive the molds 25. Rollers 26 on the ends of the bars ride, during most of their forward travel, between a track 21 formed by an 5 angular guide beam and a rail 28. Fixed at one '20 as themolds enter the tank I70.

end of each crossbar 23 is an arm carrying at its outer end a freely rotatable roller 32. The rollers 32, during portions of the forward travel of the molds, ride against a rail ,33, being held in contact therewith by the action of gravity upon the 5 plates 24 and molds 25. The rails 33 are so positioned that the molds enter the tank at a considerable inclination (see Fig. 1) and are heated first at the bottom.

The confections are removed from the molds 0 while in the tank I by a gripper conveyor I15, comprising a pair of chains I16 (only one being here shown) between which a plurality of equally spaced gripper carriers I 11 are suspended. Each gripper carrier ITI includes a 15 channel cross plate I18 mounted on end blocks I19 from'which arms I80 extend upwardly above the cross plate 118. The arms I80 are secure -to pins I8I carrying rollers I82 adapted to ride on tracks I83. Fixed to the outer end of one pin .20 I8I is an'arm I84 carrying a roller I85 adapted to travel in a channel track I86 mounted on the machine frame adjacent and. parallel to one of "the tracks I33. A pair of rock shafts I 8? are supported at their ends in the blocks I19 below and gripper jaws I92 are secured by arms I93 to the shafts and. are normally held closed by springs I94 attached to the arms. Strips of rubber or similar material I95 are secured to the adjacent faces of the jaws I92.

The conveyor I15 is driven continuously and in unison with 'theconveyor 2D. The gripper carriers I11 of the conveyor I'I5 are brought into register with *the mold carriers 22 of the conveyor A shoe I68 on the machine frame trips the roller I 9| of each approaching gripper carrier and holds the jaws open until the carrier is in register with a mold carrier. The jaws are at opposite sides of the sticks I35 and when the roller I9I leaves the shoe I98 the jaws are closed by the springs Ist- -to seize the sticks.

It will be understood that the sticks are frozen fast in the confections, and that as soon as the 59 confections have been loosened from the molds by the defrosting action of the tank I'ltl the confections will be removed therefrom by the gripper conveyor. The removal of the confections and molds is facilitated by the provision of float sections 200 and 20I by which the mold conveyor 20 is supported. The float sections are substantially identical and only section 200 will be described in detail. The rollers 26 pass from the tracks 21 onto tracks 202, the forward ends of which are inclined as shown at 203. Each track 202 is yieldably supported upon a spring 204 through an arm 205. The spring 204' surrounds a bolt 206 carried in flanges 201 and 208 of a channeled plate 208. The plate 209 is mounted on a bracket 2I0 fixed to the machine frame. The bolt 206 is threaded through the opening in the flange 201 and is locked in place by a nut 2| I. An angle plate 2I2 is also secured to the bracket 2I0 and having a bolt receiving hole in its flange 2I3 further positions the bolt and carries a set screw 2I4 which limits the upward movement of the arm 205. A collar 2I5 fixed to the rod supports the lower end of the spring 204. The arm 205 has, at its upper end, a flange 2I6, having a hole therein through which the bolt passes freely and resting on the upper end of the spring 204, and is bent forwardly and downwardly at its lower end to provide a flange Zn. The track 202 and a guard plate 2I8 are bolted to the flange 2I'I. The arm 205 is further supported by an arm 2I9, having at one end a hole through which the bolt 204 passes and secured at the other end-to the arm 205 by a nut and screw assembly 220. The rails 28 for the rollers 26 of the mold conveyor are broken away at the float sections (see Fig. 1). Fixed to the arm 205 is a bracket providing a rail 22l for the roller 32 of the mold conveyor, the rails 33 elsewhere carried by the rails 28 being also broken away. Mounted on the machine frame in any suitable way are the tracks I83 and rails 223 for the rollers I82 of the gripper conveyor and rails 224 for the rollers I thereof. The levels of the tracks I83 and the rails 223 are raised beginning at the float section 200 the levels, as shown in Fig. 1, being connected by inclines 225 and 226.

As the mold conveyor advances a mold carrier to the floating sections, the molds are in the tank I10 50 that the confections therein are partially loosened from the walls of the molds and the sticks frozen in the confections have been seized by the jaws of the gripper conveyor which moves in unison with the mold conveyor. The tracks 202 of the float sections being normally raised by the springs 204, the mold carrier is raised as the rollers 26 reach the inclined tips 203 of the tracks 202 and at substantially the same time the gripper jaws are raised by the inclines 225 of the tracks I83. The weight of the mold carrier 22 is suflicient to counteract the tension of the springs 204 but so long as the confections are frozen to the walls of the molds the carriers are supported by the hold of the gripper jaws on the sticks. As soon, however, as the confections have been loosened from the molds the weight of the mold carrier is free to return the tracks 202 to the lower level in alignment with the tracks 21. This usually does not take place until the mold carrier is on the second floating section 20I a condition illustrated in Fig. 1. If it should have taken place while the mold carrier was on section 200 the second section, when the carrier arrived thereon, would at once be lowered by the weight of the carrier from its normal raised position.

The set screws 2I4 which determine the upper limit of movement of the float sections may be adjusted to insure proper separation of the confections and molds. Pads 221 on the flanges 208 serve as bumpers and determine the lower limit of movement. It will be noted that the level of the rail 224 is the same over the float sections as before and since the rollers I82 have been raised the rollers I85 tilt gripper jaws to facilitate the separation of the confections and the molds. The mold carriers are also tilted by the downwardly inclined rail 33 and the rollers 32 to further facilitate such separation. The paths of travel of the mold and gripper conveyors diverge as they leave the floating section and the confections are thus completely withdrawn from the molds.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described comprising a continuously moving conveyor provided with a plurality of molds adapted to contain frozen confections of edible material from which sticks project, means for loosening the confections in the molds and means for removing such loosened confections therefrom, both said means operating while the conveyor is in motion, and said last-named means including float sections provided with tracks on which the mold carriers are supported and means for seizing the sticks, the weight of the carriers causing the tracks of the float sections to lower and separate the molds from the confections.

2. In a machine of the class described comprising a continuously moving conveyor provided with a plurality of molds adapted to contain frozen confections of edible material from which sticks project, means for loosening the confections in the molds and means for removing such loosened confections therefrom, both said means operating while the conveyor is in motion, said first-named means including a heating tank through which the molds are carried by the conveyor, and said last-named means including float sections provided with tracks on which the mold carriers are supported as the molds are in the tank, and a conveyor provided with gripper carriers, the grippers being adapted to seize the sticks of the confections while the mold carriers are on the tracks whereby upon loosening of the contact the weight of the mold carriers lowers the tracks of the float sections with the carriers thereon and the confections are removed from the molds.

3. In a machine of the class described, a conveyor provided with mold carriers each carrier including a plurality of molds adapted to contain confections having sticks projecting therefrom, a second conveyor provided with gripper carriers, means for advancing both conveyors continuously and in unison along paths of travel which are in part parallel, floating tracks on which the mold carriers of the first conveyor are supported during that part of its travel and means for causing the grippers of the second conveyor to seize the sticks of the confections while the mold carriers are on such tracks, the contact of the confections and the walls of the molds being loosened as the weight of the mold carriers lowers the tracks with the carriers thereon and thereby separates the molds from the confections seized by the grippers.

WILLIAM J. TAYLOR. 

